This invention relates to transaction record systems. Specifically this invention relates to a transaction record system for an automated banking machine which provides image records as well as data records related to transactions and other activities. The invention further relates to a system which captures images and enables images and data to be stored, remotely accessed and selectively processed and analyzed.
Automated banking machines are known in the prior art. A common type of automated banking machine used by consumers is an automated teller machine (xe2x80x9cATMxe2x80x9d). ATMs enable customers to carry out banking transactions such as dispensing cash, making deposits, making transfers of funds, depositing checks and other instruments, payment of bills and account balance inquiries. Other types of automated banking machines are used for purposes of dispensing tickets, scrip, travelers checks, airline tickets, gaming materials and other items of value. Other types of automated banking machines are used by service providers such as cashiers or bank tellers for purposes of dispensing or receiving currency, counting currency and determining the genuineness of currency. For purposes of this disclosure an automated banking machine will be considered as being any machine which accomplishes the handling or transfer of items having or representative of value.
In the past some automated banking machines have included a camera system. Cameras have been installed adjacent to the machine for purposes of viewing persons conducting transactions. Such cameras have been connected to video tape recorders and record an image of the customer conducting the transaction. Such systems have limitations because the tapes used to record the images must be periodically changed. A failure to change the tape could result in images no longer being recorded. Changing the tape too soon results in a waste of available image storage space. Tapes that are reused wear out after a few cycles.
A further drawback associated with tape recording systems used in connection with automated banking machines is that the tapes should be maintained for a substantial period. For example if a customer claims that they did not conduct a transaction, this will likely not be known until several weeks or months after the transaction was conducted. To determine if the customer""s assertions are true the tape must be located. This involves cataloguing and storing tapes, often for extended periods of time. This is inconvenient and costly.
A further drawback associated with conventional image recording systems associated with automated banking machines is that the camera may be blocked. Such blocking may be deliberate or inadvertent. For example a criminal wishing to avoid identification may cover the lens area of the camera so that no usable video is obtained. Alternatively, lighting conditions such as sun glare and shadows may render a camera unable to provide a suitable video image.
A further limitation of existing ATM camera systems is that they often record only a single image during the transaction. If that image happens to coincide with a time when the customer is not facing in a direction which enables the camera can take a suitable picture, the image is of no value. Alternatively, if a camera is operated to record throughout every transaction the available tape supply will be used up more quickly. In such situations the tape supply is often consumed by recording images of persons withdrawing very small amounts from the ATM.
A further issue that sometimes arises with regard to automated banking machines is shortages of materials or cash. Sometimes for example, the amount of cash remaining within a machine is less than available records suggest should be held therein. Similar issues may arise with other items that are dispensed from or deposited in automated banking machines. Such issues call into question whether there has been a machine malfunction, conversion by a person authorized to service the machine or theft by a third party. As servicers such as bank employees accessing automated banking machines are often unsupervised, it is sometimes impossible to determine the cause of the shortage.
Circumstances sometimes arise in the course of transactions at automated banking machines where it would be desirable to inform particular individuals of the existence of the circumstances. Such circumstances may include for example that the recording media being used to record images needs to be changed. Other conditions may include that someone has gained access to the machine or an area surrounding the machine. It would be desirable to include an image with or as part of some messages. Such information would enable persons who need to know about such conditions to take immediate action.
Certain types of automated banking machines also accept documents representative of value such as checks and travelers checks. Often issues arise concerning the authenticity of such items. Determining the authenticity of such items may be a time consuming process due to the need to physically retrieve such items and to compare indicia thereon to a genuine item. An example would be signature comparisons for determining whether a particular signature is appropriate. Such activities can be costly and time consuming.
There further exists a need for systems that operate so that when a triggering event occurs, the capture of images and other actions occur in a predetermined sequence. For example the occurrence of an image condition such that motion is sensed by a camera or that the camera is blocked, may cause additional images to be captured from the same or other cameras. In such circumstances images taken prior to the triggering event may be stored in correlated relation with the images corresponding to the event for a later analysis. In some circumstances it may be desirable to have images captured at different rates based on the nature of the triggering events, including at rates which comprise generally continuous image video capture. There further exists a need for systems in which a triggering event may consist of a change within a particular detection area, which is a subset of an entire image being viewed by a camera. This enables actions to be taken in response to changes in the detection area while other changes within the field of view may be ignored. There further exists a need to program an image capture system with such sequences in a simplified manner.
There further exists a need for systems in which captured images can be stored and analyzed. This may include for example analysis by the type of triggering event which caused the image to be captured. Other parameters for searching images would also be desirable to use, such as the content of the image, the type of transaction with which it is associated or the time frame within which the image was captured. The ability to search such images by one or more of these parameters would greatly reduce the time necessary to locate desired images. In addition there exists a need for the selective deletion of images when available storage space approaches depletion. Such selective deletion may include eliminating image data associated with certain types of image events while selectively retaining other information.
There further exists a need for a system which can provide increased assurance of the authenticity and unaltered condition of an image. In some circumstances there may be concern that a captured image has been altered so that it is different from its original form. The ability to document that images are unaltered despite transfer from an image capture system to another system increases the evidentiary value of the captured image.
There further exists a need for an image capture system that can be used in connection with automated transaction machines as well as in other transaction or service environments. Such a system may record activities and transactions occurring within facilities at particular times to enable documentation of events that occur.
Thus there exists a need for a transaction record system which includes image capture capabilities that overcome the limitations associated with existing systems.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a transaction record system for an automated banking machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for recording image data related to transactions conducted at an automated banking machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for recording image and transaction data related to transactions conducted at an automated banking machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for enabling access to image and transaction data related to transactions conducted at an automated banking machine remotely through a network.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for accessing image and transaction data in response to events that occur at an automated banking machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for obtaining image data and for taking actions in an appropriate programmed sequence in response to events at an automated banking machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for obtaining image data and for taking actions in a sequence which can be programmed more readily.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system which achieves greater assurance of capturing useful image and transaction data related to transactions conducted at an automated banking machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system that provides selective remote notification of events and conditions occurring at an automated banking machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system that simplifies the recording, storage and analysis of transaction and image data generated at an automated banking machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for imaging documents at an automated banking machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system that enables analysis of documents presented at an automated banking machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for obtaining and storing image data related to servicing activities conducted at an automated banking machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide methods of recording, storing and analyzing image and transaction data produced in the operation of an automated banking machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an image capture system that captures images in response to triggering events and which captures images in accordance with a programmed sequence of actions.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an image capture system in which the triggering event is the occurrence of an image condition within a field of view of a camera.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an image capture system in which images are captured in response to a triggering event which includes changes within a selected detection area within a field of view of a camera.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an image capture system which captures images in response to a triggering event which includes the presence of a particular characteristic, object, facial feature or color within an image.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an image capture system that can provide remote notification of a triggering event and to include with the notification an image associated with the event.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an image capture system which provides for selective deletion of images by the type of event with which the image is associated.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an image capture system in which images may be sorted and searched by parameters or combinations of parameters.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an image capture system which provides for transferring images in a manner which provides enhanced assurance that the transferred images have not been altered.
Further objects of the present invention will be made apparent in the following Best Modes For Carrying Out Invention and the appended claims.
The foregoing objects are accomplished in one exemplary form of the present invention by a system which includes an automated banking machine. The automated banking machine carries out transactions by performing several transaction functions. At least one camera is positioned adjacent to the automated banking machine. The camera operates to produce camera signals which represent images within a field of view of the camera.
The system further preferably includes a computer in operative connection with a data store. The computer includes a server operating in connection with the computer. In some embodiments of the system the server may be resident and a part of the computer within the automated banking machine. In other embodiments the server may reside in a location adjacent to or disposed from the automated banking machine. The computer is in operative connection with the machine and the camera. The computer operates in accordance with programmed instructions to include image data corresponding to the camera signals in the data store. The image data is stored in response to the machine carrying out transaction functions.
The server is in connection with an electronic communications network. In some embodiments this may be a direct connection, local area network or an intranet. In other embodiments the network may be a telecommunications network, wide area network or the Internet. Alternatively the network could include a wireless network such as an RF network or satellite network. A user terminal disposed from the automated banking machine is connected to the network. The user terminal may be connected directly to the network or may be connected through one or more intervening networks and servers. The user terminal includes a computer with a browser operating therein as well as an output device such as a screen or printer. The user terminal through the browser accesses the image data through the server. The user terminal operates to output the image data through its output device. The user terminal also is used to access transaction data related to transactions corresponding to image data stored in the data store associated with the server. The user terminal may be operated to more rapidly analyze and sort image and transaction data, as well as to conduct a more detailed analysis of image or transaction data.
Embodiments of the system also operate in accordance with sequences of instructions. The sequence instructions provide for a sequence of actions to be taken in response to certain conditions. For example if in the course of capturing image data, a camera adjacent to the ATM is unable to produce usable video, such as because it is covered or due to glare, the instructions in the sequence may cause the system to begin capturing image data from another nearby camera. Other sequence instructions may avoid recording the image data for selected transactions. Other sequence instructions may cause the recording of images associated with service activities. This may be done with cameras located in service areas such as behind an automated teller machine or within the automated teller machine itself. Selective motion detection and other hard and soft triggers may be used to initiate recording of images and/or other actions which are part of a sequence.
Alternative embodiments of the invention also provide messages through the network indicative of conditions or events occurring at the automated banking machine. Further embodiments of the system operate to manage available memory. This may include projecting when available memory will likely be depleted and sending a message which indicates such condition. Other embodiments may reconfigure available memory or may automatically delete selectively certain image data or off-load data in memory through the network to a remote storage location. Further alternative embodiments of the invention provide for imaging of documents deposited in the machine. Image and transaction data associated with the deposit of documents may be recovered. Analysis of document image data such as signature analysis may be conducted through the network remotely from document verification terminals which include data usable to verify the genuineness of deposited documents.
Alternative exemplary embodiments of the invention are used independent of an automated transaction machine to capture image data selectively in response to triggering events. Such triggering events operate to cause the system to execute sequences which may include the capture of additional images or to take other actions including the remote notification of persons electronically of the occurrence of triggering events. Such notifications may include or have attached thereto at least one image file corresponding to an image associated with the event for which notification is being given.
In certain exemplary embodiments the triggering events include certain image conditions. Image conditions may correspond to the blocking of a camera in a way that prevents the delivery of usable video. Alternatively image conditions may correspond to the detection of motion, colors, objects, facial features, clothing, body positions, or other characteristics or items within a field of view of a camera. Exemplary embodiments of the invention enable a user to select one or more subsets of the field of view as a detection area and to sense for motion or other image conditions only within the detection area while ignoring image conditions outside the detection area. This facilitates the detection of desired events and avoids the use of available image storage in response to capturing images which are not of interest.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention also store image data and other data associated therewith so as to provide enhanced searchability of images. Embodiments of the invention enable searching through images selectively by one or more parameters. Such parameters may include the type of triggering event causing the image to be captured. Other exemplary parameters may include transaction types with which an image is associated, or time periods during which images are captured. Other parameters for the searching of images may include searching by color, object type, facial features or other characteristics. Such capabilities enable images to be identified, recalled and analyzed selectively, more quickly or in greater detail than is possible with existing systems.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention also enable the transfer of images that have been captured in a manner that provides greater assurance that the images have not been subject to alteration. Such capability assures that the image has greater evidentiary value in the event that it is used to establish liability related to the occurrence of transactions or events.